Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — After a long journey overseas, 3-year-old trotter Explosive Matter is getting settled in Italy as he prepares for Sunday’s Gran Premio Orsi Mangelli in Milan.

“He’s doing well,” owner Adam Victor Jr. said. “The travel took a little bit of weight off him and he was pretty aggravated once he landed — it took a little longer than we expected — but apparently he’s been acting pretty good the last few days.”

The Gran Premio Orsi Mangelli is a double-heat race contested around a five-eighths-mile track. Explosive Matter is 6-for-6 lifetime on five-eighths-mile ovals and raced heats in the Kentucky Futurity, where he was timed in 1:51.3 in the second heat and covered the final quarter-mile in :26.4 seconds.

Explosive Matter, trained by Noel Daley for the Adam Victor & Son Stable, will start from post No. 1 in the first 10-horse division of the opening round. The horses in posts eight through 10 begin the race in the second tier.

“We got pretty lucky there,” Victor said. “You can be put behind the old 8-ball if you get the second tier out there. It will be interesting. I hear they leave real hard and early there, so you don’t want to be pinched on the turn, but certainly the draw could have been worse.”

Lisa photo

Explosive Matter has hit the board in 11 of his 12 starts this year, with earnings of $1,136,501.

For the year, Explosive Matter has won five of 12 races, including the $500,000 Colonial, and earned $1.1 million. He is coming off a 2-3/4 length win over Swan For All in a $102,000 division of the Bluegrass Stakes on October 10 at the Red Mile in Lexington. Driven by Ron Pierce, the colt won in 1:52.4.

He has five second-place finishes, all against Muscle Hill, harness racing’s No. 1-rated horse. He also finished second to Muscle Hill in last year’s Breeders Crown, which was the only blemish on his record last season.

This year, Explosive Matter finished second to Muscle Hill in the Hambletonian, Kentucky Futurity, Canadian Trotting Classic and a division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial.

Explosive Matter’s connections skipped last weekend’s Breeders Crown — and one final encounter with Muscle Hill — to race in the Orsi Mangelli. (The Victors still grabbed a Breeders Crown trophy as All Speed Hanover won the race for 2-year-old male pacers by defeating previously unbeaten Sportswriter.)

“Apparently there are some good horses around (for the Orsi Mangelli), but the main variables are how did (Explosive Matter) ship and how does he take the track?” Victor said. “The track is probably going to be a little hard, a little different, than what he’s raced on before. We’ve got to make sure he’s rigged properly.

“We’ve got our fingers crossed. Hopefully everything goes well and he races to the best of his ability. We’re very excited.”

Explosive Matter is not the only horse from the U.S. to make the trip to Milan. Mystro Hanover, from the Trond Smedshammer Stable, and Copy Catch, from the Jimmy Takter Stable, also will participate in the event.

Mystro Hanover is owned by Scuderia S Giuliano of Italy and has won three of 15 career races while earning $99,459. He most recently was third in the Charles Smith Trot at Freehold Raceway on September 11, finishing behind Howthehaloareyou and Vesuvio AS. He is expected to remain in Italy following the race.

“He’s a half-mile track horse, but he’s a little bit too hot and erratic,” Smedshammer said. “He definitely has a little bit of go — he won in (1):57 at Freehold — but there’s a big gap between this horse and Explosive Matter.”

Copy Catch, who is owned by the Lindy Racing Stable along with the Victor & Son Stable and Blue Chip Bloodstock, has won three of 21 lifetime races and $194,757. His top win came in July in a $151,670 division of the Zweig Memorial at Tioga Downs.

Here are the first heat fields with listed drivers and trainers.

First heat, first division: 1. Explosive Matter, R. Pierce, N. Daley; 2. Mistero Lux, TBA, F. Souloy; 3. Megan Grif, J. Kontio, H. Ehlert; 4. Karaburan, H. Biendi, H. Biendi; 5. Mondiale OK, Gp. Minnucci, E. Bot; 6. Oracle, O. Kihlstrom, S. Melander; 7. Mario Tommaseo, W. Paal, H. Ehlert; 8. Merckx OK, P. Gubellini, P. Gubellini; 9. Mystro Hanover, E. Bellei, T. Smedshammer; 10. Merisi Font, TBA, G. Pistone.